JOEY

This little guy (25-30 lbs) is named Joey. He was found on a rural road shot in both rear legs. It appears that the bullet went through one leg and into the other leg and stuck in the knee area. We are currently rehabbing him.

Click here to see video of Joey

BUDDY

Buddy loves to jog and play. His special favorite is chasing and bringing back tennis balls. He is approximately 8 years old. He is crate-trained and loves to "kennel up". He needs his exercise and "rub-a-dub" time. He is a people person. He is afraid of thunder storms. This guy would make a marvelous companion for an older person that "needs a friend" - because Buddy "needs a friend" to play with him.

A Poem For Our Buddy...
One by one they pass my cage,
Too old, too worn, too broken, no way.
Way past his prime he can't run and play,
Then they shake their heads slowly and go on their way.
A little old man, arthritic and sore,
It seems I am not wanted anymore.
I once had a home, I once had a bed,
A place that was warm, and where I was fed.
Now my muzzle is grey, and my eyes slowly fail,
Who wants a dog so old and so frail?
My family decided I didn't belong,
I got in their way, my attitude was wrong.
Whatever excuse they made in their head
Can't justify how they left me for dead.
Now I sit in this cage, where day after day,
The younger dogs get adopted away.
When I had almost come to the end of my rope,
You saw my face and I finally had hope.
You saw thru the grey, and the legs bent with age,
And felt I still had life beyond the cage.
You took me home, gave me food and a bed,
And shared your own pillow with my poor tired head.
We snuggle and play, and you talk to me low,
You love me so dearly and want me to know.
I may have lived most of my life with another,
But you outshine them with a love so much stronger.
I promise to return all the love I can give,
To You, my dear person, as long as I live.
I may be with you for a week or for years,
We will share many smiles, you will no doubt shed tears.
And when the time comes that God deems I must leave,
I know you will cry and your heart will grieve.
And when I arrive at the Bridge, all brand new,
My thoughts and my heart will still be with you.
And I will brag to all who will hear,
Of the person who made my last days so dear.

-Author Unknown

Meet Cleo. People have asked how Cleo is doing doing and so we thought we would post her on our website. One guy who heard about Cleo was even going to fly out from California.

Cleo was in a backyard under the snow shivering. She had no cover and her "chain" was frozen to the ground. She had no food. We found every worm known to man in her and her ears were very infected. She is heartworm positive. We gave her a bath and grooming and assume it was probably her first. We will spay her once she is worm-free. In spite of everything that her prior humans did to her - she gives kisses.

BORIS

Boris was picked up on Sunday from an animal shelter and brought directly to St. Louis. He got out of the car and urinated. His urine was blood red. Immediately, he was carried into the Pacific Animal Hospital where we were having an Adoption Event.

His prostate had a wicked infection. His gums were white and tacky. He had a 104.5 fever. He had heartworms in his urine and in his stool. His tail wagged as you walked by him but he was too weak to lift his head. He is only around 2 years old.

His case was posted on the Golden Retriever Forum. People were posting messages for him on it. Amber from the Pacific Animal Hospital could not leave him and so she stayed with him and was reading him the 70+ messages for him. This gentle, little guy passed away in Amber's arms only 4 hours later. He left knowing that a whole bunch of people loved him. This seemed to matter a lot to this little guy. Thank you Amber !!

Molly Before and After Surgery
This is our Molly lly Before Hip Replacement and Molly After. This is one very happy critter to be pain free for the first time in her young life. She has 2 more weeks of rehab and then she can run with the "big dogs".

Before

After

Dulcie 06.98 - 03.08
This beautiful girl was turned in with her brother Gus. Gus passed away about 2 years ago and Dulcie was lost without him. Her family adopted Willy as her companion. Dulcie loved and cared for Willy as if he was her brother. Dulcie went to the Rainbow Bridge today. When they came home without Dulcie, Willy cried. Gus is on our "Remember Me" page. These two critters were very special and they were adopted to a very special family. We are truely sorry for their loss.

UPDATE! This is a video taken of Rooster in March 2008.

Rooster in March 2007		Rooster in May 2007

This gorgeous old man (named Rooster) was part of a drug bust and was confiscated. We were asked to take him. Heartworms come in grade 1-2-3. He is a 4. He is less than 60 lbs and we are committed to this old man. We are going to fatten him up for a week and then we will slowly - very slowly treat him for his heartworms. His teeth are terrible and we should clean them but the heartworms are our main concern. Please wish him luck. He is one gentle creature. He will need one heck of a great home during his treatment. Total crate rest - except for leash walks. If you would like to help for Rooster's treatment, please click the make a donation button above. This is going to a be a tough save, won't you help us?

Ty 04/03/05 - 01/12/08
Ty was born with a very severe heart murmur. He was given to Dirks Fund when he was 5 months old and was adopted by a family that saw a chance to give this sweet critter a chance at life. For over 2 years, this guy took many strolls around "his" block. He knew everyone and every critter.

He died on Saturday of a heart attack. All of us at Dirks Fund join Ty in thanking his family for giving him all he ever wanted - a chance to put a smile on a family's face.

Ty will always be remembered for his happy smiling face. He loved to play outside with tennis balls, or anything else you could throw, for hours at a time. He would never leave your side when outdoors. He would greet anyone who came to the door with a big smile and tail wagging. He will be greatly missed.

Our veterinarian did an autopsy on Ty and was amazed that he lasted as long as he did. He was having too good a time to leave. Please say hello to Maggie & Nick.

Amos is a Very Lucky Boy!

Before	After

Amos is a gentle spirit that is at the moment of writing this story is laying at my feet. When Dirk's Fund rescued him, we did surgery on his eyelids that were both turned the wrong way. They were constantly "irritating" his eyes and they watered all the time. Imagine as humans how we feel when an eyelash gets in our eye. Now, imagine 10 eyelashes in both eyes - this was Amos fate. A month later, we determined that Amos had a liver problem. He could only go about 3 days and then desperately needed IV fluids. We took him to Mizzou for surgery to get him a potentially life-saving operation. He had a 20% chance of not making it home.

Amos made it home but has a tough recovery ahead of him. He now has to be taken bathroom outside every hour as his liver needs to get back to work. This will take around 2 to 3 months to recouperate. We will know in a month or two whether Amos' surgery will take. Until then, we feed him 4 times a day and give him meds with each meal. He is housebroken and will come to you every hour to go outside. If you saw him play with toys and hop from dog to dog trying to get them to play, it would have to make you smile. We have to give this guy this chance - what other choice is there. He is only one year old and if you ever met him - he would melt your heart.

This is what Dirks Fund is all about and this is an example of your donations at work. Without you, we couldn't accomplish saving dogs like Amos. Thank you!

IN HONOR
Willy/Cujo

The miracle of Kindness to the least of all creatures has a way of coming round full circle to touch many hearts and teach lessons of compassion. This is the story of an elderly Golden Retriever, Willy: loved, lost, reclaimed to love but lost again, rescued once more when he thought, perhaps that his luck had finally run dry, and finally, miraculously found again—truly found again.

You see, Willy has had many adventures in his life. He was first loved by a family who called him Cujo. His family was moving homes in St. Louis when, by accident, a gate was left open. Willy (formerly Cujo) and his companion dog were lost. While signs, and calls, and a network of friends were able to return the companion dog, Willy was never found. The heart broken young daughter (Kayla) who loved him so, promised never to forget him and every year, set out a Christmas stocking for him—never giving up hope that one day love would bring him home.

Well, six years came and went. Willy’s life went on. Somehow he found himself in the home of an elderly woman in Columbia (over 2 hours from his home in Saint Louis). When the elderly woman became ill she was taken to a nursing home. Willy was found alone in her home but(having lost yet another companion), he was carted off to the Humane Society—left to what would have been likely euthanasia for this gentlemanly old dog. This ignoble sentence was just not meant to be, as he was once again found but this time by the Saint Louis Golden Retriever rescue group: Dirk’s fund.

Poor Willy, having grown mostly deaf through many ear infections, with only matted fur and a broken toe to show for his years, didn’t have much to win him favors but Dirk’s Fund has long seen the value of love given to old dogs and then returned in kind. So, Willy was to find good veterinary care, caring foster home and anonymous internet fame in a posting on the website: Dirksfund.com .

You might guess—the rest they say is history. Perhaps karma, perhaps just the enduring wish of a little girl and a lonely Christmas stocking, perhaps just miracle of kindness coming round again, Willy made the long journey home, but not before sharing his love where he could and finally, coming home to Kayla and her family. Who can say how Kayla and her family found the website, how Willy made it to Columbia and how the Saint Louis based rescue society found him there, saw a dog worth saving only to bring him back to St. Louis and eventually home again. There are many words for this but best of all is love. Willy and his family reunited January 26 at 3:30 p.m. at Kennelwood on Mason Lane in Ballwin, Missouri. It was a long time coming. Welcome home!

A special thank you to KSDK, KETC, the St. Louis Post Dispatch and the Suburban Journals for covering this wonderful reunion. Thank you to all the volunteers and generous donors to Dirk's Fund. Without you, there wouldn't be a wonderful ending to this heartfelt story. To view this reunion, please view the video on KSDK's website or read KSDK's report.

Anne-Marie Berger's Willy/Cujo story originally aired Monday, Feb. 19 at 7 p.m. on St. Louis channel KETC/Channel 9's weekly magazine show, "Living St. Louis." You may watch the online video of this wonderful reunion on the KETC Channel 9 website. [Video]

IN MEMORY
Jake

Jake was only 4 months old and running the streets in St. Louis. One day, he decided to "turn himself in" and went to the police department. They took him to animal control. Two hours before his time was up, a lady at animal control saw something special in him and called us. We went only to look at him. One look is all that it took.

He rode all the way home in the front seat - looking out the window with a very large smile on his face and his tail up and wagging. In his foster home, he played fetch, learned how to use a dog door and ran around with his new Golden buddies.

He died of a viral infection less than 48 hours after we got him. He died in our arms knowing someone cared. If you were one of the lucky ones that had a chance to meet this guy, he would have tugged at your heart. All he wanted was someone to care. We did and we think that he knew it.

IN MEMORY
Gus 6.98 - 7.06

Gus came into our rescue with his sister Dulcie. They were confused as to why anyone would give them up. They were the best of friends and loved to run and play. If you saw one, the other was never far behind. They found a family that loved them from the first time that they saw them and would not even consider separating them.

Unfortunately, the creator had different ideas. He wanted Gus and Dulcie is now on her own for the first time. The stuffed toy that Gus has in his mouth in the picture had a noise maker that made a sound like a sick duck quacking. When his owners got home from the vet after Gus had passed, they squeezed the toy and the noise maker no longer worked.

He was a wonderful dog, so gentle and friendly that everyone who met him loved him. He had a way of leaning on you as you petted him until you were carrying most of his weight. Our! Maggie now has another friend to play with at the "Rainbow Bridge."

Chance

Chance was born 5 years ago in Arkansas and promptly put in the back yard on a chain. He was subsequently turned into a shelter and they contacted us about this little guy (45 lbs.). He was a very gentle soul. Even though he was brought up outside, he would always go to the door and ask to be let out to go potty. He was the ultimate Golden when it came to “his” tennis ball. He would even carry it to his food bowl, drop it in his food, eat and then carry it off to take a nap with his paw on the ball. We could not throw it because any exercise caused him to cough.

He had Grade 3 heartworms when we got him. There is no Grade 4. We had hoped that he would have a “real” family and, ultimately, to play fetch. Both of those seemed very important to him and, of course, to us. This was not to be. This gentle soul was called to his creator because only he could fix him. We let him go with “his” tennis ball.

Marty
Marty was found about 5 years ago in Southern Missouri. His whole face was cut up and he had scares all over his body - top and bottom. He appeared to be used as bait for dog fights. He was about 50 lbs and was timid. A perfect combination for a "bait dog".

As you can see ,today- 5 years later, he is gorgeous and there is no sign of his scars. He has a family with 2 girls and a swimming pool. He also has 2 cats that share the house with him. He is still as gentle and sweet an animal as you can imagine. Some fairy tales do come true!!

Ollie

Ollie was a true rescue pup. In 1998 his biological Mother, a red headed Golden Retriever and eight babies were, intentionally, left to die in a garage on a 100 degree day in August. Ladue Rabies Control kindly picked them up and rescue took them in. The pups were only 5 weeks old and they all came into foster care with seizures and high temperatures. God saw fit to only take one of the babies and all were adopted, except one. He was the last pick. His foster Mom even thought he was sort of a “dufus” and that he might be better off staying with her. Over time his Mother began to realize that Ollie had special talents. He had a tremendous drive for chasing tennis balls which wasn’t unusual for a Retriever. However, even at a very young age he would go out in the woods and find the exact ball that had been thrown – even if there were ten others out there. And, if it took him 30 minutes to find “that” specific ball, he wouldn’t give up.

Ollie’s Mom tried to get him involved in search and rescue, but it wasn’t until after 911 that some civilian groups popped up. In 2003 the two of them became members of Gateway Search Dogs, Inc., and, in 2005 Ollie became one of four nationally certified, wilderness search and rescue dogs in the State of Missouri. This certification had been achieved by less than 200 canines in the nation.

Ollie had to go to the Rainbow Bridge on July 19, 2006, but not without leaving his mark. He was called out several times to search for lost and missing persons. Although he never had an actual “find”, on his very first search he gave a perfect indication that the subject had recently been in the area. After the subject was located safe and sound, the police relayed that Ollie had been right on target. His zest for life will be missed by all who knew him. And, his Mom wants to thank “Jolly Ollie” for all the hours of training and the joy, love and friendship he gave her – to be surpassed by none.

Hero
Hero and his Black Lab friend had been together in an Industrial Complex for 3 or 4 years. People who worked in the complex would put food out on plastic plates for them. One day they noticed that the plates were gone and that they had not seen the Black Lab. They followed Hero one day to where these two slept under a bridge and there was the Black Lab. He was dead and around him were plastic plates with food still on them.

We took Hero relunctantly away. He had every parasite we knew of. He had teeth that were extracted when he was neutered. He was heartworm positive and had a 7 lb tumor that we had to remove. He only weighed 72 lbs. We can not tell how old he is because his face is so scared.

After all of this he is still alive and living life large with 2 other Goldens. He apparently has decided that this house stuff is too good to leave and he has decided to stick around for awhile. This guy is pretty special !!

GRACIE
Gracie was only two years old when her owner in Georgia tried to turn her into rescue.  She had knee problems and they did not want to spend the funds to fix her.  Rescue in Georgia turned them down because of the expense of fixing her knees.  The owner knew of someone in St. Louis and they contacted Dirk. 

We had the critter flown to St Louis and performed the surgery required on both her knees.  After surgery, she was even climbing steps.  She located a marvelous home with a mom & dad, three children, and even some pets to play with.  Life was good!

She had the kind of face that said "hug me" and everyone did.  She was settling in to her great home when she developed cluster seizures.  No amount of medication would stop the pain.  She died as she would have requested - in her momma's arms. 

CLIFF
We went to pick up a golden at a mid-Missouri kill shelter and there was Cliff in the next crate. He was a sorry sight. He had mange and staff infections all over his body and was very, very thin. His time was up that day and we knew that no one would adopt him.

What the heck! We put this big, goofy looking Golden mixed with Great Dane in our van. It took a long time to get his skin back to normal. He was quite a character. He got along with every dog and animal. However, he was never "picked" for adoption because of his size.

One day a woman came looking for a "big dog" to play with her Newfoundland. She fell in love with Cliff. She brought her critter back to see if they liked each other and it was love at first sight. She came back that weekend to pick him up and everyone was crying because we knew our "big clown" was leaving.

We got a call 2 days later that he had died from bloat. He did not suffer and he did get to know he was "adoptable". This was a marvelous creature.

RUDY
We got a call that an older Golden was running in South St. Louis and that they had turned him into a "kill" shelter on Hanley. We knew that the shelter would put him to sleep because of his age.

We had Rudy picked up and turned over to us. He was all of 40 lbs. We did not figure that he would last 3 months. He had cockleburs over his entire under side. We shaved him and gave him a bath.

He was never adopted and no one even asked about him. He was very old (14+) and thin (40 lbs.). He ate everything but would not put on a pound. He was our constant shadow. Everywhere we were, he was one step away. Recently, he could not go up stairs, so I would sleep on the couch downstairs because I could not look into that face and walk away.

Towards the end, he lost most of his teeth, did not hear very well, walked stiff legged and did not always make it outside to potty. However, he was always right next to you.

At the end, he could not stand up without help and he told me to let him go. Reluctantly, I gave in to the only request this critter asked of me in the 4 years that we had him. We can only hope that he has someone to stand next to until I get there with him.

SKIPPER
Skipper was born on July 29th 2001. One day while he was playing in his own yard, a neighbor tied him out and ran over his tail with a lawn mower. For Skipper's protection, he was taken into our rescue.

Skipper did not last long in rescue. He was adopted in May of 2002. He was given his own fenced in yard and his own mom and dad. The best part was that he was also given a little girl to call his very own. She renamed him Clifford. He loved water and playing with his toys. His life was now full with a new owner who loved and protected him. But most of all, he had a little girl who was his best friend.

In June of 2003, he was diagnosed with acute leukemia and died within 4 days. Hardly enough time to say goodbye. He did not even make it to his 2nd birthday. He knew nothing but kindness and care as his creator claimed him. He must have wanted him real bad to take him so early.

GOLDEN PUPPIES

April of 2003, we got a call that someone could not sell their Golden puppies and so they stopped caring for and feeding them - too expensive? They were brought to us. Our veterinarian said that they would probably not have lasted another 24-48 hours because they were so dehydrated. We put them on IVs and slowly brought them back to health. When we dewormed them, we noticed that the only thing that they had been finding to eat was birdseed that feel from a feeder near the car they were under.

We recently received a Holiday picture of two of them (Penny & Buddy). What could have been such a waste has turned out to be a marvelous Holiday story. Thanks Patti, our supporters and all of the adoptive families. We will post pictures of the others if we get them. Somebody was watching over these little guys!